A parent (from Latin: parēns = parent) is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). Children can have one or more parents, but they must have two biological parents. Biological parents consist of the male who sired the child and the female who gave birth to the child. In all human societies, the biological mother and father are both responsible for raising their young. However, some parents may not be biologically related to their children. An adoptive parent is one who nurtures and raises the offspring of the biological parents but is not actually biologically related to the child. Children without adoptive parents can be raised by their grandparents or other family members.
A parent can also be elaborated as an ancestor removed one generation.
Read more about Parent: Biological and Non-biological Parentage, Biological Parents and Parental Testing, Mother, Father, Grandparent, Parent–offspring Conflict, Optimal Gender Mix
Famous quotes containing the word parent:
“The parent must not give in to his desire to try to create the child he would like to have, but rather help the child to develop—in his own good time—to the fullest, into what he wishes to be and can be, in line with his natural endowment and as the consequence of his unique life in history.”
—Bruno Bettelheim (20th century)
“No parent should strive to be like another; just like our children, each of us is unique. And just as we love each of our children for being a special person, our children learn to love each of us for being a distinct parent and person.”
—Saf Lerman (20th century)
“Verily the kindness that gazes upon itself in a mirror turns to stone,
And a good deed that calls itself by tender names becomes the parent to a curse.”
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931)